Why are you running for office? We need to focus on Springfield's future. In order to do so, we need vision, leadership and energy in City Hall, which I will bring to the mayor's office. Today, we are seeing a mass exodus of young and middle-class families of all backgrounds from Springfield due to concerns about public safety, quality of life, and an under-performing school system. Public safety will be my number one priority as mayor and I will bring much needed leadership to our public schools.

As mayor, I will add 50 additional police officers and launch an all-out war on crime. I will also create a "Quality of Life Squad" to address the day-to-day issues like noise, litter and vagrancy that are important to our citizens. I will take full advantage of the mayor's role as chairman of the School Committee to revolutionize our schools

What are your qualifications for the post? I am proud of my 20-plus years of experience in public service. I have had a great cross-section of experiences including working as an aide to former Mayor Mary E. Hurley, and serving in Hampden County District Attorney William M. Bennett's office for six years. My responsibilities in the DA's office included Fugitive Rendition Coordinator, District Court Police Department Liaison, and community service coordinator working with youth offenders. Most recently, I am proud of turning around the operations and finances of the South End Community Center as executive director. The center is now a thriving safe have for youngsters and is financially sound..

As a member of the City Council, I have been committed to addressing the issues most important to our community, most notably public safety and quality of life issues. In 2004 as the first council president to sit on the Finance Control Board, I co-managed the $450 million city budget during a difficult period and worked with state officials to stabilize city finances

Do you support placing a casino in your community if the state approves one? I do not support citing a casino in Springfield. I do however support Gov. Patrick's proposal and a "casino in the woods" approach in order to generate needed revenue and help provide our seniors and other residents property tax relief. I would work to secure a Hampden County regional host fee that could amount to $8 millon to $15 million annually for our region. In addition, I would work with our legislative delegation and the Patrick administration to negotiate agreements with the casino operator for jobs designated for Springfield residents, contracts for Springfield-based vendors and drawing attractions (concerts, shows, etc.,) from the casino to the MassMutual Center

What are the key issues facing your community? Public safety, quality of life, education, outreach to at-risk youth, business retention, transitioning out the Finance Control Board, elimination of the trash fee and diversity and inclusion of citizenry in government

Do you believe Springfield can function well without a state-imposed Finance Control Board? Yes. I'm running for mayor of Springfield, not a seat on the Finance Control Board. We must stop living on borrowed time and a credit card - Springfield owes the commonwealth over $30 million and Mayor Ryan and the Control Board have no plan in place to pay it back according to the state auditor. We must begin a structured transition back to local governance and establish a plan to pay back this debt. With leadership in the mayor's office and tapping into our local talent, we can stand on our own two feet.